Before returning from the other world, Mirei Shinohara was extremely eager to see her parents.
But now that she had actually come back, she hesitated. She didn't know whether she should go home in her current form.
After all, not to mention looking the same as in her past life, she wasn't even in human form yet.
So, she decided to first follow Shiraori in searching for Eriri, and only afterward consider whether or not to return home—and in what manner.
If they found Eriri, that would be even better. She could then ask Eriri for advice.
After hearing Mirei Shinohara's answer, Shiraori didn't hesitate. She immediately used Space Magic again. In the blink of an eye, the two of them disappeared from the classroom, which once more returned to an empty state.
...
When the two reappeared, they were already standing before the gate of a detached house.
Both Mirei Shinohara and Shiraori were very familiar with this place. After all, before reincarnation, they often came here.
For Shiraori, it was another home besides Class 2-3's classroom.
Looking at the familiar gate before her, Shiraori didn't immediately use Space Magic to enter the house, nor did she use clairvoyance to check whether anyone was inside.
Instead, after taking a deep breath, she rang the doorbell and waited at the entrance.
While waiting, she instinctively closed her eyes, placing her right hand over her chest.
"Please, please… Master, you must be home!"
She didn't know how many times she silently repeated these words, but finally the sound of the door opening reached her ears.
The instant she heard it, Shiraori ended her silent prayer and opened her eyes wide, staring expectantly at the slowly opening door.
Beside her, Mirei Shinohara was just as nervous, her emotions no less intense than Shiraori's.
Both of them desperately hoped that when the door opened, Eriri would be standing there.
However, when the door opened fully, the person before them wasn't the Eriri they longed for, nor Aoi Kujou, nor the original Wakaba Hiiro. Instead, it was a stranger they had never seen before.
Before them stood a peerlessly beautiful woman dressed in a maid outfit, exuding the refined aura of a Yamato Nadeshiko. At that moment, Shiraori and Mirei's hearts instantly sank halfway.
But the moment they heard the woman's first words, their emotions surged like a rollercoaster, becoming ecstatic.
"Come in. The young lady has been waiting for you in the living room."
Seeing the two main characters she had been watching on live broadcast for more than four days, Meido's face blossomed with a gentle smile. She also stepped aside, welcoming them in like a true maid greeting her master's guests.
Overwhelmed with joy, Shiraori and Mirei didn't hesitate, stepping directly into the house.
Even though more than a year had passed in the other world, they still clearly remembered the house's layout. Without delay, they headed straight for the living room.
Soon, they entered and immediately saw Eriri sitting on the sofa, smiling warmly at them.
"Mirei, and my adorable little pet, welcome home~"
...
Looking at Eriri's familiar face—the one that often surfaced in their minds—both Shiraori and Mirei's long-suppressed emotions of over a year burst forth.
"Master (Eriri)!!!"
Both shouted in unison, their voices trembling with emotion and edged with sobs. Then, unable to contain themselves, they rushed toward Eriri.
In an instant, they were before her. Shiraori threw herself into Eriri's lap like a returning swallow, while Mirei circled around her several times before finally resting her head on Eriri's shoulder.
Eriri didn't resist their closeness. Instead, she smiled and gently caressed Shiraori's head with her right hand while stroking the smooth, crystal-like scales of Mirei's body with her left.
...
About ten minutes later, after pouring out their longing and calming their emotions, Mirei finally let go of Eriri and floated beside her.
As for Shiraori, she was still like a spoiled child—clinging to Eriri's lap. With Eriri's gentle stroking that never stopped, her face carried a constant look of bliss.
Only now did Shiraori and Mirei Shinohara finally turn their gaze toward D, who was sitting nearby.
"So you're the original Wakaba, huh? As expected, you didn't reincarnate either, just like Eriri," Mirei said.
While speaking, Shiraori silently observed the D before her—who looked exactly like herself, apart from different hair color, skin tone, and eyes. For a moment, her emotions were deeply complicated.
Because she clearly remembered her past life and identity, she didn't feel, as in the original story, like D's substitute, nor did she harbor any special feelings toward her. It was simply a strange and complicated sensation—like meeting the true owner of those past memories.
D, upon hearing Mirei's words, merely glanced at her briefly before lowering her gaze back to the novel in her hands.
As for Shiraori, she clearly had no intention of engaging either.
Just as Shiraori had no special feelings toward her as in the original, D also had no interest in Shiraori at all—even though the latter shared her face.
This utterly indifferent attitude, however, made Mirei a little displeased.
"Hey, Wakaba, why are you still acting the same as always? No matter what, we spent at least a month or two together before. That counts as being friends, right? Now it's been over a year since we last met, don't you have anything to say to me? Like maybe that you missed me?"
"Why would I miss you? Maybe you don't realize it, but while you spent more than a year in the other world, on Earth only five days have passed," D replied without even lifting her head.
Her words stunned both Mirei and Shiraori, who was secretly watching from Eriri's lap.
"What? Only five days have passed on Earth?" Mirei exclaimed in shock.
She then turned to Eriri, as if seeking confirmation of the truth.
Meeting her gaze, Eriri nodded.
"D-chan is right. It's really been less than five days. See for yourself."
As she spoke, Eriri stretched out her left hand. Out of thin air, a pink phone appeared in her palm.
Seeing the somewhat familiar phone, Mirei froze again, still not recovered from the shock.
"This is…"
"That's right—it's your phone~" Eriri said with a playful smile.
Nervously, Mirei used a new skill she had obtained recently, "Telekinesis," to take the phone from Eriri's hand. Then, with the same ability, she powered it on.
Looking at the date displayed on the phone's screen, even though Eriri's words had already convinced her, seeing it with her own eyes still left her incredulous.
Suddenly, she realized something critical.
If it had only been less than five days on Earth, then her parents were surely still in their deepest grief.
As their daughter, she couldn't bear to let her loving parents continue suffering like that. Instantly, she felt an urge to rush home and let them know she was safe.
But before that, she wanted to see if there was a way to deal with her outward appearance.
So she looked up at Eriri with a hopeful expression and asked:
"Eriri, do you have a way to let me temporarily return to human form? I want to go home and reassure my parents…"
"It's possible, but I think it would be better if you visited them in your current form too. Don't you think it's beautiful? This is a body I specially prepared for you."
Eriri reached out and stroked the pair of translucent horns that protruded from Mirei's head.
"It is beautiful, and I like it a lot. But no matter what, this form isn't something ordinary people on Earth can accept," Mirei said hesitantly.
"Alright then. Since you want it, I'll let you gain the ability to take on human form ahead of time~"
Saying that, Eriri lightly tapped Mirei's head with her finger.
"Okay, now you can try transforming into a human."
"Mm! Thank you, Eriri, I love you the most!"
Excitedly rubbing her head against Eriri, Mirei Shinohara instinctively activated the new ability she had just obtained.
The transformation required no extra movements—just a flash of light. In the next moment, a small, snow-white figure appeared in the living room.
Then, a childish voice rang out:
"Whoa! I finally transformed into a human body!"
Looking at her snow-white hands, Mirei's face lit up with joy.
But soon, she noticed a serious problem.
"Wait… why is my body so small?"
She examined herself from every angle and quickly came to a conclusion that left her unsettled.
She had turned into a little girl!
In a hurry, she used her Five Elements Manipulation skill to gather water elements from the air and form a mirror. In the reflection appeared an adorable, impossibly cute little face.
Her palm-sized face was flawless, with bright blue eyes that sparkled like gems, a dainty nose, and soft pink lips—each feature exquisitely delicate.
Her thick, snow-white hair cascaded down her back, and even her eyebrows and eyelashes were pure white. She looked like a snow spirit who had descended into the mortal world.
Looking carefully, one could still see traces of Mirei's previous life in the youthful features. But the refinement of her face and the perfection of her skin far surpassed anything from before.
"Is this really… my face?"
Staring at the unbearably cute reflection, Mirei momentarily forgot about the problem of becoming a child. Compared to such a beautiful face, what did it matter? She could always grow up again.
Though she had been considered a beautiful girl in her past life, that was only relative to ordinary people. Compared to Shiraori or Aoi Kujou, she had been far too plain. She had even felt a little inferior when standing next to Eriri.
Now, though her face was still childish, Mirei was confident that once she grew up, her beauty would be no less than Shiraori's.
"Well? Isn't it cute? This is what your human form looks like," Eriri said with a playful smile, reaching out to pinch Mirei's cheeks.
Hearing Eriri's words, Shiraori—who had been lying on Eriri's lap with her eyes closed—opened them and glanced at Mirei. Seeing her new appearance, she couldn't help but feel awe in her heart.
Eriri's playful pinches snapped Mirei out of her daze. Her expression quickly shifted to uncontainable excitement.
Dispelling the water mirror, she spread her little arms and dove into Eriri's embrace.
"Eriri, thank you! I love you, I love you so much!"
Burying her face in Eriri's neck, Mirei once again expressed her deep gratitude and affection.
Meanwhile, below, Shiraori silently reached out to push Mirei's tiny, pale feet away. If she hadn't reacted in time, those little feet would have stepped right on her head.
Patting Mirei's back, Eriri laughed softly.
"Alright, now that you have a human form too, you can go home after dinner to see your parents."
"Mm! I'll do as you say!"
...
Soon, over an hour had passed, and under Aoi Kujou's arrangements, dinner officially began.
After more than a year, tasting Aoi Kujou's cooking again moved Mirei so much she nearly cried.
And although it was Shiraori's first time eating Kujou's food, her excitement was no less intense than Mirei's.
Heaven knew what her life had been like for the past year. Thanks to Predator, she had avoided the foul taste of inedible monsters. But even the tastiest of magical beasts could never compare to cooked dishes seasoned with spices.
Thus, her craving for delicious food had only grown stronger.
During the meal, she stayed silent, focusing entirely on devouring the dishes before her, while in her heart she praised them in hundreds of different ways.
Unlike Shiraori's silence, Mirei never stopped chatting with Eriri, eager to learn as much as she could.
"By the way, Eriri, what exactly happened in the classroom back then? Besides me and Shiraori, did Mr. Okazaki and the others also reincarnate into the other world?"
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